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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258778">Frozen Hearts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/robopou/pseuds/robopou'>robopou</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Figure Skater AU, Ice Hockey AU, Ice Hockey Player Kuroo, Iwaizumi is the best friend!!!, Kuroo can be brute but he has a good heart., M/M, Miscommunication, figure skater Oikawa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:27:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258778</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/robopou/pseuds/robopou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Due to a penalty, famous ice hockey player Kuroo has to be at the ice rink an hour before practice. </p><p>Right on time to leave a bad impression on Oikawa by ramming him into the ground.</p><p>Kuroo wishes there will be hope as he falls more and more in love with Oikawa - Be it his elegance, his beauty, his broken heart.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuroo Tetsurou/Oikawa Tooru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A series of unfortunate events</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yes, I'm back.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tetsurou awoke to the dreaded noise of his blasting alarm, smashing it with his fist multiple times, before rolling over and pressing his face into his pillow once again. Just five more minutes, he thought before he drifted back off into sleep. Nothing wrong with that, he had multiple alarms set after all.<br/><br/>His next sleep session ended when the ringing of his phone woke him up. Grouchily, he reached his hand out, roaming around his bedsheets before a loud thud caught his attention. His phone fell facedown onto the floor. He groaned before he leaned out of his bed to pick it up. With a shaking hand, he flipped it around and to his relief, the screen wasn't cracked.<br/><em>Thank god,</em> he thought before pressing the home button.</p><p>"1 PM?!" he screamed as he jolted to the bathroom, grabbing his toothbrush before he entered the shower. Tetsurou belonged to the type of people who claimed that brushing your teeth during a shower was the fastest way to get clean. In fact, it was the fastest way to waste warm water.</p><p>But at least he managed to maintain his unbeatable high score of five minutes under the shower, although he preferred long ones. You know, the ones where you’re lost in thought and about to come up with the cure for cancer until your mother bangs against the door, yelling about the water bill or your sister getting mad at you for wasting all the warm water.<br/>“Not everyone wants to leave the house with their hair looking like a crop!” Akane’s yells echoed through his ears. He snapped out of his memories when the hot air of his hairdryer caused the side of his scalp to sting. <em>That’s enough</em>, he rushed back into his bedroom, putting on a black tracksuit and grabbing his bag before heading outside.<br/><br/>Seated comfortably in his black Benz that he proudly bought with his first paycheck, he wondered whether he should have taken his jacket with him. “Nah,” he mused while smugly turning on the seat heater. He ignored the weird noises that the engine made, <em>which sounds expensive</em>, deciding not to dwell on it too much, and drove off to the ice rink.<br/>Twenty minutes into the ride his car broke down. He groaned in agony before slamming his head against the steering wheel, twice.<br/><br/>This was not supposed to happen! He could have made it to the rink on time, only if he didn’t postpone that yearly check-up. He dialed the towing service and silently sat in his car, as the warmth that once radiated from behind his back, gradually left.</p><p>Finally, after forty-five dreaded minutes of impatient waiting, the towing truck was in sight.<br/>The driver of said vehicle approached Kuroo’s Benz, signaling him to step out with a wave of his hand. Tetsurou sighed, knowing that he’d be freezing his damn ass off, as soon as the cold air hit him.</p><p>“Not your lucky day, crashing down somewhere in the forest during winter, eh? At least there wasn’t much traffic.”</p><p><em>Very lucky.</em> Kuroo rolled his eyes at the man’s overly cheerful tone. He was too tired for small talk and too pissed off to smile.</p><p>“So, what’s the matter?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I’m not a mechanic.” Kuroo spat, making it evident how moody he was.</p><p>“Neither am I,” the man said as his eyes rested on Kuroo’s beautiful jet-black Mercedes Benz C-unit. “Shouldn’t you be taking better care of a car like this? Haven’t seen a Mercedes in weeks, let alone towed.”</p><p>“Please just take it to the best mechanic you can find in Tokyo, I don’t care about the price.” Kuroo pinched the bridge of his nose, he knew it was his fault but he couldn’t stand being lectured about his car. It was his baby and he betrayed it by not respecting it enough.</p><p>Kuroo gave the man all the necessary information and decided to jog the remaining distance. “Why didn’t I take better care of it? Why didn’t I take my fucking jacket with me?” he yelled into the cold air. He was lucky he was jogging through the forest, any person seeing him scream around like that would be thinking he’s a lunatic.</p><p>He arrived at the ice rink eventually, rushing to the locker room where he quickly put on his equipment and jolted to the ice hall. The shortness of breath didn’t stop him from sliding over the rink as fast as he could, scraping out a generous amount of ice along his course. He put a full stop to his slide, colliding sideways into his best friend and sweeping him along, both landing painfully on the frozen floor.</p><p>“Are you trying to kill me, man?” Koutarou groaned, trying to push Tetsurou off of him, who managed to catch him off guard with his tempestuous arrival.<br/><br/>“Sorry, bro, I was in a hurry-“<br/><br/>“Kuroo Tetsurou.” A loud voice interrupted their skirmish, it was their coach. Glaring the two down from above.<br/><br/>“Yes, sir?” he stammered, trembling a little as he stood up, reaching a hand out to Koutarou who followed.</p><p><br/>“I’ve had enough of your shenanigans. Don’t cause harm to your fellows,” he scanned their disheveled state.<br/><br/>“I apologize, sir, it won’t happen again,” he gave a curt bow, cursing himself mentally for that stunt.<br/><br/>“I’m used to your unpunctuality but do you value your sleep over your team that much? You’re combining lack of respect with being unreliable, I expected better from our right defense.”</p><p>At this point he was right in front of Tetsurou, shooting him a piercing stare. “That means, you will arrive earlier than the rest in future.”<br/><br/>“Coach, I can explain, my car broke down and-“</p><p>“Take the bus.”</p><p>“But it only comes once an hour, I’d still be here too late!”</p><p>“Then come one hour earlier, or even two hours," he said coldly, "Excess time is time to practice,” he turned around, to scold another teammate.</p><p>“One hour?” he muttered, knowing that any attempt at discussion would fail miserably against the stubborn coach who held closer resemblance to a ruthless drill instructor. He rolled his eyes at further thought and pulled through with training. At least numerous body checks allowed him to let off steam - much to the others’ dismay.</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>“You’re lucky Terushima got the coach mad with his freshly pierced tongue, or else you’d be in bigger trouble, he was bragging about it the entire time.” Bokuto dropped him off at home, “You know we could always carpool-“<br/><br/>“Nope.” Kuroo exhaled before finally inhaling the crisp fresh air that didn’t smell like old boxes of pizza and sweaty socks. Although he wasn’t the most organized person himself, he wouldn’t dare to turn his beloved car into a mobile dumpster.</p><p>“Come on, my driving skills aren’t that horrible!” Bokuto pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p>“You’re overestimating yourself, man. Besides, when was the last time you cleaned up in there?” Tetsurou grimaced as he realized one of Koutarou’s socks was sticking to his sweats. He threw it back into the car, right onto his friend’s face.</p><p>“That wasn’t even mine! You know Akaashi, the guy I’m dating?”</p><p>“The figure skater?”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s his. He left it in here when I dropped him off.”</p><p>“Why would he forget his socks in there.”</p><p>“He must have forgotten while getting dressed.”</p><p>“Dude, no!”</p><p>Koutarou smiled sheepishly, “Well…”</p><p>“Don’t tell me you two fucked in that car!” Koutarou kept quiet so Tetsurou continued in disgust, “Not only did you shamelessly welcome him into that messy car of yours but you also had sex in there?”</p><p>“It wasn’t that dirty when we had our date, it was about a week ago!”</p><p>“You let it get this dirty in the course of a single week? You have no respect for your car.”</p><p>“At least I respect the coach.”</p><p>“Savage.” His smug attitude vanished. “I’m heading inside, thanks for the ride, bro.”</p><p>“Should I order Sushi today?” Tetsurou pondered when he entered his house before whipping out his phone. “A missed call?” he decided to call the person back and to his relief it was the mechanic. Sadly, they had to exchange the battery and it would take at least two weeks for a new one to be shipped to Japan.</p><p><br/>Tetsurou decided to eat his feelings that day...</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>The following morning, he had to rush to the rink after hitting the gym, leaving him irritated during the entire ride. He even ignored the coach's calls, unusual for Tetsurou as he respected him dearly but decided to give him the cold shoulder after yesterday. Tetsurou put his headphones in and closed his eyes for a few moments, leaning his head against the window. The uneven road made it impossible to relax, putting him at risk of concussion from the vibrating glass.<br/>Unsettled and stressed out he made his way to the locker room. He slipped into his black compression top, and pulled his arm sleeves on, leaving the jersey for later. <br/>He decided to check his messages, so he could at least figure out what his coach wanted earlier.</p><p>
  <span class="u">Coach: I called earlier to inform you that ice hockey practice for today starts 90 minutes later.</span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p><em>Now, this had to be badly written satire,</em> Tetsurou groaned. He would have to wait two hours now that going home wasn't possible. He slid into his jersey and ran to the rink with no control, sliding straight on and picking up speed gradually. He didn't even make sure that the rink was empty, colliding into someone that was about his height, though much lighter than him. Said person crashed onto their side.<br/><br/>"Oh my god," Tetsurou stuttered as he stood up on shaky legs, "Are you alright?"<br/><br/>The man snapped his head into Tetsurou's direction, his long chestnut-colored hair covering his face, "Are you out of your mind?" he spat angrily, causing Kuroo to flinch.<br/><br/>"I didn't know someone else had practice around this time," he muttered, wondering if he should apologize, the other male's heated attitude getting on his nerves.<br/><br/>"Then you should have checked the display," the young man hissed, blood trickling down his nose which unsettled Tetsurou even more.<br/><br/>"Let me at least help you up,” he reached his hand out in worry, only to have it slapped away to his surprise. </p><p>"Don't you dare lay your hands anywhere near me, you goon!" he growled, attempting to get up, only to slip out, his hands stopping another collision with the cold ground, red droplets tainting the shiny surface beneath him. “Just leave,” he declared through gritted teeth.</p><p>Now Tetsurou's blood started to boil, who the fuck did he think he was? He decided to leave before things started getting out of hand, the guy was lucky Tetsurou didn’t break his bones in that collision. He could have snapped him like a toothpick if he wanted.<br/>At least he offered to help. Kuroo was already at the bleachers as two voices caught his attention, he ducked, deciding to eavesdrop.</p><p>“Oikawa-san, are you alright?” a mellow voice called out.<br/>“It’s nothing.”<br/>“Let me take a look,” a familiar voice caught his attention. “You’re bleeding!”</p><p><em>Now that sounded way too familiar! </em>Tetsurou pondered before taking a peek from afar and it was none other than the captain and center of his ice hockey team, Iwaizumi Hajime. <em>Oh shit. </em>This was going to take its toll on their relationship if he ever found out.<br/>The buff male squatted down on the frozen ground, propping the male up who was named Oikawa. “Can you stand?” he asked as he slid under the other male’s arm who let out a loud hiss as he attempted to stand up on shaky legs. <em>Was it really that bad? </em>Guilt started to fill Kuroo’s heart and he patiently followed his every motion with his eyes.<br/><em><br/>Are they dating?</em></p><p>“No, you can’t.” Iwaizumi said, sliding his right arm beneath Oikawa’s legs, sweeping him off his feet with ease.</p><p>
  <em>They might be.<br/></em>
</p><p>“Am I your baby now?”</p><p>
  <em>Kuroo raised a brow at that overly sultry voice.</em>
</p><p>“Don’t make me drop you.”</p><p>
  <em>They’re not.</em>
</p><p>“You wouldn’t dare, I’m already injured.”<br/><br/>“How did you manage to do that anyway? I was two minutes away to get you some water and you’re out here getting blood on the ice.”</p><p>“As if you don’t do that on a daily basis.”</p><p>“Yeah, professionally. Besides, I make other people bleed, not myself.” <em>True</em> <em>that! </em>Kuroo cringed.</p><p>“You weren’t even here when it happened! Some gorilla had the gall to ram me out of the blue. Isn’t that right?” He turned to the male with the mellow voice, who at second glance seemed awfully familiar as well. <em>Kuroo crossed his fingers.</em> Too bad Oikawa still had his hair hanging into his face, Kuroo was intrigued. He seemed so mysterious, as if he was purposefully shielding himself from his glances, as if he knew he was being watched.</p><p>“I was with Iwaizumi-san.”</p><p>The brunette groaned dramatically, “I’m telling you guys, I’ve been assaulted and you won’t take my side?” <em>Sure, call it assault. It was a fucking accident.</em></p><p>“Quit whining. Is it okay if we put an end to today’s practice and I drop you guys home, Akaashi-san?”<br/><em>Kuroo gasped in disbelief, a hand hovering over his mouth to quiet himself down. Did Iwaizumi just call that guy Akaashi? First, he collides with a figure skater, then he is at risk of getting onto his captain’s bad side and now he was sure that he left a bad impression on his best friend’s boyfriend as well. </em></p><p>“I’m okay with that.”</p><p>“Why aren’t you asking me as well?” He sounded betrayed. “We wanted to show you our improved version of swan lake, we have prepared the most elegant one arm overhead lift, this was your only chance to see it! You know how our coach doesn’t like spectators during practice, she was ill today and you missed your last chance!”</p><p>“You’re not lifting anyone above your head in that condition, take a break, will you? And what do you mean by last? You make it sound like I won’t be there during your competition!”</p><p>“That's not what I meant, what if we don’t qualify?”</p><p>“You won’t with that attitude, put an end to your pessimism and put some faith in yourself!<br/>You’re also insulting Akaashi-san.”</p><p>All three of them turned silent and headed out, leaving Tetsurou by himself who let out a heavy sigh.</p><p>
  <em><br/>This was going to have consequences...</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A series of unfortunate misunderstandings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After many misunderstandings, Kenma to Kuroo tedtalks and lots of sexual tension... Oikawa and Kuroo talk to each other.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Eight or was it nine months later? I'm deeply sorry.</p><p>Skip the Tinder/Bathtub paragraph if you hate smut. There will be actual porn next chapter though.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The practice had already begun and Kuroo hoped that he could maintain his relaxed demeanor but Iwaizumi's belated arrival quickly eclipsed these thoughts.<br/><br/>"I know I'm usually the first one to arrive. I'm sorry for not being on time, I had to drop somebody off at the hospital," he explained to the coach who dismissed him with a nod.<br/><br/>Kuroo's face blanched, as realization dawned.<br/>Did he really say hospital? How severely did I hurt that guy?<br/><br/>"Oi!" Iwaizumi said while passing by, resulting in Kuroo becoming visibly tense. "You don't seem alright. Are you okay?"<br/><br/>"You're mistaken. I'm in the best shape," Kuroo lied, shuffling away slowly.<br/><br/>Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes doubtfully. "If you say so," he nodded before sliding off himself.<br/><br/>He doesn't seem to know what happened.<br/>Practice passed so slowly that it was almost agonizing and Kuroo felt a nameless dread overcoming him.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The following day Kuroo found himself in the locker room, pondering his next move. He decided to kill time by doing a few push-ups instead of rushing into the ice rink.<br/><em>Just how badly did I hurt him? Will I get into legal trouble over this?  </em> <br/>Kuroo shook his head, trying to push that thought out of his mind...<br/><br/>Quietly and cautiously, Kuroo entered the ice hall. To his surprise, both Oikawa and a blond man, who appeared to be his coach, were standing next to the northern exit.<br/><br/>"I promised not to exhaust myself today, which by the way, had nothing to do with yesterday."<br/><br/>"I'm very concerned, Tooru. You can't get hospitalized one day and then claim everything's fine the other. You're being reckless."<br/><br/>"I wasn't hospitalized, in fact, a certain worrywart just forced me to go there. The doctors said I'm healthy as can be." Oikawa lowered his head, before he continued in a matter of fact voice, "Trust me, Coach Blanco. I. Am. Fine."<br/><br/>"Keiji and I will be waiting for you outside, don't hurt yourself in the time being."<br/><br/>"I won't go back on my word," he smiled, bowing. Oikawa's smile immediately faded as soon as he spotted Kuroo.<br/><br/>The latter hesitated briefly, before approaching him. It was the first time he was able to take a proper look at Oikawa, without his silky maroon hair restricting the view to his face. His eyes, which were glaring at him hatefully, were the same hue of brown as his locks. Kuroo's gaze traveled from his high cheekbones and neat jawline to his delicate lips. It took him a few seconds to realize that his thoughts wandered off, he zoned back in, locking gazes.<br/>"Hi," he spoke gingerly.<br/><br/>"Bye," Oikawa replied, breaking their eye contact, retreating towards the exit.<br/><br/>Of course, he was going to give me the cold shoulder, what was I expecting?<br/><br/>Kuroo rolled his eyes before saying, "I need to get something off my chest. Give me a second."<br/><br/>"The second has passed!" Oikawa sneered petulantly.<br/><br/><em>This isn’t going to be easy.</em><br/>"Can you stop acting like a child?" Kuroo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.<br/><br/>Oikawa stopped in his tracks, although choosing not to turn around. "Oh, now you'd like to settle this like men?" he inquired skeptically, crossing his arms.<br/><br/><em>Keep a clear head, Tetsurou, don't partake in this. Now is not the time to engage in a sassy match of badmouth-ping-pong.</em><br/>"No,” he exhaled loudly, before resuming, “I want to have a conversation like sophisticated adults." Kuroo mirrored Oikawa's stance, before uninhibitedly adding, “<em>By the way</em>, you wouldn't last five seconds against me." That had to be clarified.<br/><br/>Oikawa abruptly snapped his head in Kuroo's direction, letting a dry laugh escape, matching Kuroo's sardonic smirk. "What are you going to do?" he snapped. "Lunge at me out of the blue again?"<br/><br/>"Now you're twisting facts,“ Kuroo groaned, irate. "It was an accident."<br/><br/>"Common courtesy dictates that one would apologize after such an accident,” Oikawa's voice is unbearably saccharine before ominously dropping lower by an octave.<br/>“What's your excuse?" He was facing Kuroo directly at that point.<br/><br/>"Can you imagine how challenging it is to sympathize with the same guy who swats your hand away when you're trying to help him up? And yells at you to leave?“<br/>Kuroo uncrossed his arms, resting his hands on his hips, bending forward provocatively.<br/><br/>Oikawa barely mouthed something, as his words came to a halt when he moved his gaze towards Kuroo's jersey. All of a sudden, his expression switched from hostile to unreadable. "It's unbelievable that an idiot like you has the privilege to play on the same team as him." He avoided Kuroo's gaze, approaching the exit.<br/><br/>Kuroo's eyes widened, but he didn't try to stop him. It would only drag out their argument and he didn’t feel like he could compose himself any longer.<br/>He didn't dare to let this end worse than it already had.<br/>Instead, he decided to take out all of his built-up frustrations during practice...<br/><br/><br/></p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p><br/><br/>"Kuroo, you were a beast on the rink today!" Bokuto cheered, slapping his friend's back.<br/><br/>"You say that like it's unusual," Kuroo smirked while zipping his jacket up.<br/><br/>"It was as if you were trying to prove something."<br/><br/>Kuroo, unsmiling, felt a pang of guilt in his chest, before smiling grimly. "Only to myself,“ he muttered, grabbing his bag, before raising his voice,<br/>"I gotta catch my bus, see you guys on Monday."<br/><br/>The bus ride home gave him time to recap his thoughts. Was he really going to let a stranger's insult affect him? He was better than that and that was nowhere near the truth.<br/>At least that's what he hoped. The bigger problem on the other hand was that this stranger had his name and occupation now.<br/><br/><br/>After he had dinner, which consisted of smoked salmon and spinach, he plopped down on the couch with his laptop, hoping Kenma would answer his face-time call.<br/>It took Kenma a minute to answer. He was sitting at his desk, taking his headset off. “Hello,” he greeted while tightening his ponytail.<br/><br/>“Hey, were you in the middle of recording?"<br/><br/>“No, I was just editing my outro a little,” Kenma assured him calmly.<br/><br/>“Good, good. How was your day?”<br/><br/>“It was nice, Shoyo tried baking an apple pie for me.”<br/><br/>“Tried? Not so successful with it?”<br/><br/>“It was good, just ended up being an apple crumble.” Kenma smiled, standing up, taking his phone into his living room, seating himself under the kotatsu. "What about you? You seem tense."<br/><br/>"What made you come to that conclusion?"<br/><br/>"Just a guess, you're my best friend," Kenma shrugged. "Do you want to talk about it?"<br/><br/>"I'm glad you asked," Kuroo exhaled sharply, relaxing his shoulders as he slouched back into his couch, "I fucked up."<br/><br/></p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p><br/>"To sum it up, you injured your team captain's boyfriend, made your identity known, and then refused to apologize to said person?"<br/><br/>"My Mercedes broke down and I had a bad day. You make me sound like such a horrible person."<br/><br/>"It's not as if I hated you for it. I'm just saying that you could have been more compassionate by apologizing to the guy."<br/><br/>"That could count as taking the blame on me if he decided to sue me," Kuroo sighed, sliding his hand through his hair. "I mean, it's not like a single lawsuit is going to result in the end of my career."<br/><br/>"Say, Kuro, what was his name?" Kenma inquired, twisting a bottle of water open.<br/><br/>"Oikawa if I recall correctly."<br/><br/>Kenma, mid gulp, raised both of his eyebrows inquisitively.<br/><br/>"What, you know him, too?" Kuroo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.<br/><br/>"It's not as if my boyfriend is a professional figure skater," Kenma's eyes darted to his right, where said boyfriend took a seat beside him.<br/><br/>"Chibi-chan!" Kuroo greeted as Hinata sat down next to Kenma, both unsmiling. <em>A little off-putting.</em> "What's wrong?"<br/><br/>"Well, Kuroo-san. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but," Hinata smiled grimly, rubbing the back of his head. "That person you collided with earlier was actually <em>the</em> <em>Oikawa Tooru</em>."<br/><br/>"Continue," Kuroo urged, arching an eyebrow. "What do you mean by <em>the Oikawa Tooru</em>?"<br/><br/>"He is an Olympic athlete, set a few records, won gold on multiple occasions, and is <em>very</em> <em>important</em>,” Hinata made sure to stress the last information as he elaborated.<br/><br/>"So, what you're saying is that I injured the Connor McDavid of figure skating?"<br/><br/>"Is he important?" Hinata shot his boyfriend a questioning look. Kenma nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Well, yeah basically. Let's just say, he has a lot of influence."<br/><br/>"His legs have been insured for a hundred million yen," Kenma added dryly, adding to Kuroo's shock. "You better not mess with him, it would result in a major scandal."<br/><br/>Kuroo stared at his laptop, stiffening, mouth agape, as mortification spread over his face. He was frozen.<br/><br/>"Kuro, is your connection unstable?"<br/><br/><em>No, but my</em> career <em>might</em> <em>be.</em> He zoned back in.<br/><br/>"Kuroo-san, I didn't want to scare you off. In fact, Oikawa-san can be very friendly. If you apologize to him, I am sure, he won't make a big deal out of it."<br/><br/>"Do you have any contact information?" Kuroo grabbed his phone, shooting the two on the other end of the screen a desperate look.<br/><br/>Kenma was typing something into his iPad.  "His Instagram handle is just his last name," he said and before Kuroo could even type his name into the search bar, he added, "Although I'm sure you're not the only person in his DMs."<br/><br/>Kuroo's eyes widened in shock as soon as they landed upon the vast amount of followers. He had more than a tenfold of his own followers.<br/>"Look at him, 24 years old, 'athlete/model', philanthropist," Kuroo sneered with a roll of his eyes, before continuing to scroll through his profile.<br/>His envy was obvious and he could only try to compensate by mocking him.<br/>“How professional, he takes a sip of some artesian crap water and flutters with his ridiculously long eyelashes. Chibi-chan, I thought you said something about gold medals, not some stupid brand deals.”</p><p>Kenma and Hinata exchanged a glance before grinning. Seeing Kuroo like that was an amusing, although somewhat annoying sight.</p><p>“What's so funny? I'm right.” He narrowed his eyes in irritation as he continued scrolling through Oikawa's feed.<br/><em>I am supposed to apologize to this guy? What is it to him?</em></p><p>"You shouldn't underestimate him, his promotional work seems quite impressive," Kenma typed something into his iPad again.</p><p>"You're telling that to the former business major. I have a university diploma," Kuroo smirked, continuing to scroll.</p><p>"You're not the only one," Kenma noted absently, resulting in Kuroo raising his eyebrows quizzically, wanting to know more. "According to his Wikipedia entry he attended university abroad."</p><p>"Is that so?" Kuroo inquired, struggling to appear nonchalant. "How impressive."</p><p>"Yup."</p><p>"You know Kenma, you really make me doubt your integrity as my so-called best friend. "Whose side are you on?"</p><p>"There are no sides, this isn't a competition, Kuro." Kenma sighed, "I don't want you to get into legal trouble, nor do I want a publicity stunt to ensure. Just apologize to him.</p><p>"But how?"</p><p>"Approach him politely. <em>Be friendly, be diplomatic.</em>"</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p><br/><br/>It was an especially snowy Thursday, the tip of Kuroo's nose and his cheeks were tinted by a rosy hue and he was glad that he was wearing an extra layer of warm clothes.<br/>He spent a few moments in front of the entrance to the ice hall, hesitantly pushing the door open, silently closing it after himself. He then proceeded to quietly walk up the flight of stairs, choosing a seat next to a pillar, so he would be able to duck if someone had a sneaking suspicion of his unwanted presence.</p><p><br/>His gaze settled on Oikawa and Akaashi who were skating next to each other in perfect sync, both athletes having their left leg extended behind their body. They continued moving forward like that as the music started playing, the two exchanging a longing glance as they closed the distance between each other, holding hands. They began spiraling slowly before gradually picking up their pace, fitting the crescendo of the music. They let go, with Akaashi following Oikawa quickly, both jumping, spinning mid-air, and landing on their left leg, moving backward before smoothly transitioning into an embrace. Oikawa was facing Akaashi's back, his hands resting on his waist as they moved and Kuroo gasped as Oikawa elevated him over his head, spending a few moments above, landing gracefully on his feet again. They were back in sync and this time, Akaashi was sneaking an arm around Oikawa's back, lifting him up into a jump, as if Oikawa was doing a somersault. As he landed, they picked up their pace again, both jumping and spinning mid-air twice, remaining perfectly in sync before closing the distance between each other. They were soon embracing each other again and this time, Oikawa raised his left leg which Akaashi rested his hand on, imitating Oikawa's pose. They circled backward, jumping in the air, spinning three times. After they landed, Oikawa lifted Akaashi by the waist, who was sprawling his arms out like wings. Kuroo's eyes widened and he was internally counting the seconds that Oikawa managed to raise his partner over his head while rotating and moving sideways.<br/>Akaashi remained in the air for a whopping ten seconds before he was gently lowered by Oikawa. Both figure skaters extended their right leg outward, holding their heels as they began rotating around their own axis. They picked up their pace as they squatted down completely. They came to a halt when Akaashi rested his hands on Oikawa's shoulders. Kuroo's jaw dropped to the floor as Oikawa single-handedly raised Akaashi above his head, moving forward. He gently lowered his partner to his feet, who now had his arm around him as they rotated simultaneously before Oikawa lifted Akaashi into the last jump, the latter circling around Oikawa's descending form. It seemed as if both were dying and at that point, Kuroo didn't even try to blame his goosebumps on the low temperature.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em>How did he lift a man the same size as himself above his head while spinning gracefully?</em>
</p><p><br/>The music stopped and Kuroo perked up his ears, as the pair faced their coach. Why was Kuroo so on edge?</p><p><br/>"Keiji," the man turned to Akaashi, "You fell out of sync after you spun around Tooru, you have to keep up with his pace, you're the black swan." He mustered Oikawa before speaking up, "Tooru, you put too much strain on your shoulder and your standing leg when you did the single-arm overhead lift, you can't expect to hold Keiji in the air for the same amount of time that you would with both arms. That way your form leaves a lot to be desired. You're putting your partners and your own safety at stake. You have to treat your body with more care."</p><p><br/><em>Damn</em>. Kuroo crossed his arms, eyebrows raised in confusion. That was definitely not what he had expected.</p><p><br/>The rest of their conversation criticized things that Kuroo simply didn't understand. What's a triple-axel and what's an arabesque? He was nowhere near uncultured but he was intrigued and should look into these terms in the future.</p><p><br/>Their coach left the pair alone, Oikawa now turning to Akaashi.</p><p><br/>"I'm going to work on my form a while, I won't overexert myself this time. You don't have to wait for me."</p><p><br/>"Oikawa-san, should I really leave you alone? We're partners after all."</p><p><br/>"Don't feel pressured to stay, I have a lot more to improve on than you do." His smile was almost synthetic and something in Oikawa's tone sounded so off that even Kuroo felt a sting in his chest. It was a different side that he hadn't expected to take in so early. He shouldn't be listening to this conversation. He should mind his own business.</p><p><br/>"If you're staying, I will be here with you."</p><p><br/>Oikawa smiled, giving his partner's hands a squeeze before they continued their practice for another half hour. They seemed to focus on lifts and transitions this time, as there weren't too many jumps included. If Kuroo's observation didn't deceive him, he could swear that they refined their skills. Their performance was already perfect to him though.<br/>Akaashi grabbed his bag, saying that he was going to return the keys.</p><p> </p><p>Oikawa was alone now and this could be the perfect opportunity to talk to him and apologize. Was it really appropriate though?</p><p>
  <em>Approach him politely, be friendly, be diplomatic.</em>
</p><p>Kenma's words reverberated in his mind over and over again as he went down the stairs.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck it.</em>
</p><p>Their gazes locked, a vague wave of regret washing over Kuroo.</p><p>"Do you have a minute for me?" Kuroo tried to smile as gently as possible.</p><p>
  <em><br/>This was no time to lash out. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Be compassionate.</em>
</p><p>Oikawa stiffened, scowling. "What, are you obsessed with me or something?"</p><p>"I thought your form was amazing."</p><p>"Who are you to judge?"</p><p>He should have known that flattery wouldn't lead to success. Someone like him would probably be used to it.</p><p>"I am aware that the two of us had an unpleasant first and second encounter. I should have immediately apologized after I hurt you," Kuroo sighed, unfastening the velcro of his right glove, removing it. He reached said bare hand out towards Oikawa. "My name is Kuroo Tetsurou and I am sorry for acting that way."</p><p>Oikawa, with an expression that read surprise, stared at Kuroo's hand for a minute. Kuroo's eyes flared up slightly when Oikawa tentatively stretched his right arm out.<br/>He stopped, the corner of his mouth lifting into a devilish smirk. There was a sadistic glint in his eyes.</p><p>"A formal apology without flowers and you consider this tactful?"</p><p>"Oh come on-"</p><p>"Bow."</p><p>"Huh?" Kuroo tilted his head in confusion. </p><p>"You heard me right, I want you to bow down and apologize properly."</p><p>"You're unbelievable."</p><p>"Maybe. Now do it, don't waste my time by standing there."</p><p>Kuroo clenched his fists and lowered his head disgracefully, uttering an apology that was barely audible.</p><p>"Lower," Oikawa instructed, "And I can't hear you," he taunted, resting a hand on his hip.</p><p>"I would like to formally apologize to you." Kuroo remained in the same position for a few seconds, earning no reaction from the other male. He peeked up as he heard a different voice speak up.</p><p>"Oikawa-san, what are you doing?"</p><p>Kuroo's face blanched entirely when he realized they weren't alone anymore.</p><p>"I accept your apology," Oikawa laughed, brushing a hand through his brown locks. " Don't you want to introduce yourself to Keiji-chan, as well?"</p><p>"Oikawa-san, we should be going. You wouldn't want Iwaizumi-san to catch you harassing his teammates, would you?"</p><p>"This is our little secret," Oikawa grinned, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. Akaashi appeared to be nonplussed.</p><p>Why did Kuroo have a sneaking suspicion that this type of encounter wasn't a rare occurrence among Oikawa?<br/>With looks like his he would already get what he wanted, he even looked pretty when he was acting like a stuck-up brat. <em>He is beautiful.</em><br/>While taking in his looks once again, Kuroo failed to realize that he was still bent overlooking up to a grinning Oikawa.</p><p>"You may stop now, although I have to admit, you are kind of cute."</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>"I am not making this up, Kenma, I swear he made me bow down at a 90-degree angle! Why are you laughing with him, Chibi-chan?"</p><p>"It's nothing new, Kuroo-san. Oikawa-san just happens to be like that," Hinata laughed, standing next to his boyfriend who was smoothing the head of the snowman with a grin on his face.</p><p>"He put you through the same shit?" Kuroo asked, bending down to shovel a ball of snow into his hand.</p><p>"Nope, he's very nice to me," Hinata giggled, poking stones into the snowman's soon-to-be smile. "He probably doesn't like you," he ducked, as a snowball came flying in his direction.</p><p>"Humbling," Kenma sneered before earning said snowball into his face.</p><p>"Oops," Kuroo muttered, "I asked you to stop laughing."</p><p>The remnants of snow on Kenma's face were dripping down slowly, his expression eerie as ever. If looks could kill, Kuroo would be dead by now, probably burning in hell.<br/>At least hell is warm, Kuroo thought.<br/><br/>Hinata and Kuroo exchanged a few nervous glances before they both looked at Kenma.</p><p>"At least you never received an ice hockey puck with your face, come on, Kenma. You can't hold a grudge against me, can you?" he was backing away, arms raised in defeat. He didn't know what was worse, him aiming for Kenma's boyfriend or him hitting Kenma... it was probably a mixture of both.</p><p>Kenma's glare wandered off to a pile of snow in proximity. He was glad he had gloves on because said pile happened to be yellow.</p><p>Kuroo paled, "You wouldn't dare!"</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p><br/>The following day, Kuroo felt very motivated, although the taste of yellow snow was still haunting him. He shivered, thinking about yesterday.<br/>On the other hand, Oikawa accepted his shameful apology and he wouldn't be facing consequences. It wouldn't hurt watching him practice, would it? He didn't call him cute for no reason after all.</p><p><em>Wow.</em> Everything in Kuroo's mind went blank and boiled down to that word. There was no other way to describe Oikawa's elegance, paired with his strength. He and Akaashi had this harmonic, yet fiery symbiosis going on. Listening closely to their coach resulted in Kuroo being able to put a name to a few poses. He finally knew what an Axel was, or that moving your partner mid-air by a single limb would get you disqualified during a competition.</p><p>There was one striking similarity to yesterday though. After practice, Oikawa had this desolate look on his face.<br/>The fact that he let Akaashi go earlier on didn't help as it seemed he had a tendency to self-destruct.<br/>Kuroo could tell he was getting more and more exhausted but it was absolutely evident when he failed to land on his feet after a triple-axel, falling onto his behind.<br/>It didn't look too painful, although the emotional distress probably outweighed the physical pain. He remained in that position for a while.</p><p><em>Should I walk up to him and make sure he is okay?<br/></em>Kuroo pondered for a while before slowly getting up in his seat, he stopped when he saw the northern gate open.<br/>It was none other than Iwaizumi. He slumped back into his seat, watching the two in anticipation.</p><p>They bickered a bit before Iwaizumi reached a hand towards Oikawa, pulling him up. Oikawa suddenly pulled him into a hug, burying his face in Iwaizumi's shoulder.<br/><em>So that was the real reason Iwaizumi would be the first one to attend practice.</em></p><p>To make sure his boyfriend was doing fine.</p><p>He couldn't help but feel a little jealous.</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>Since there was no ice hockey practice on weekends and Bokuto was busy dating Akaashi, he spent some time with Kenma and Hinata. He always felt welcome there and less of a third wheel.<br/>This time, there was no snow involved.</p><p>On Monday, he felt a little lonely when he entered a completely empty ice rink. He shook the thought out of his head. He shouldn't crave the attention of someone who was in a relationship. Kuroo wasn't a homewrecker.</p><p>He also realized that it had been a week since he and his Mercedes had been separated. At least there were just a few days until he would get his beloved car back.</p><p>Tuesday came along, and so did Oikawa.<br/>It was pleasant to see Oikawa receive positive criticism, he was smiling genuinely and you could see it in his axels and pirouettes, <em>yes</em>, Kuroo did his research.</p><p>As ice hockey practice was nearing, Oikawa spotted Kuroo in his seat, waving him over.</p><p>“Hey stalker,” Oikawa smirked when Kuroo approached him. He earned a confused look for that line. “You're sitting there, watching me and don't even have the manners to greet me.”</p><p>“Don't be so full of yourself, I was simply killing time before practice.”</p><p>“You did it on Friday, as well," Oikawa retorted smugly. "I know a fan when I see one," he winked.</p><p>“Was that an invitation?”</p><p>“You're always free to say hello and take a selfie with me. As long as my coach doesn't have a clue.” Oikawa brushed his hand against his.</p><p>
  <em>Friendly.</em>
</p><p>Politely, almost touching his arm but deciding against it, Kuroo said, “You look nice when you're smiling like this."</p><p>Oikawa's eyes widened curtly before he returned to his debonair nature. Kuroo didn't fail to notice his initial reaction.<br/>“You sound almost like Iwa-chan,” he laughed gently slapping Kuroo's bicep.</p><p>Ignoring that weird nickname, hoping that he would never become the target of such distaste, he realized what he was getting himself into.<br/><em>Distance, Tetsurou. Distance.</em></p><p>“See you,” he smiled one last time before moving towards the exit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On Wednesday, Kuroo didn't hide in his seat for too long and chose to approach Oikawa before he left.<br/>Oikawa happened to be in the mood for a little more beyond small talk and much to his own chagrin, Kuroo didn't even mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you still think I'm an idiot?”</p><p>“<em>Do you</em> <em>still</em> <em>think</em> you can beat me in five minutes?”</p><p>“You're dodging the question and yes, I do.”</p><p>“Come at me then, <em>idiot.</em>”</p><p>“You're all talk and no action.”</p><p>“That's rich coming from you, you just managed to catch me off-guard.”</p><p>“You want a rematch?”</p><p>"If you can keep up with me, I'll consider it!" Oikawa shouted, darting off.</p><p>"You're dead meat once I got you," Kuroo smirked, following him, closing the distance.</p><p>"I'm not fighting you while you're wearing your ice hockey attire, take the elbow pads and chest protector off!" Oikawa insisted as only a few feet separated the two.</p><p>"That's a hassle I'm not going to deal with," Kuroo complained reaching out for Oikawa who spiraled away, catching Kuroo off-guard.</p><p>"Oh, is little Tetsu-chan afraid without his safety gear?"</p><p>"First of all, I'm at least three inches taller than you, and second of all, quit it with the name-butchering."</p><p>"Would you prefer me calling you an idiot then?" Oikawa came to a halt, closing the distance between the two.<br/>"A sexy idiot, that's for sure," he breathed, giving Kuroo a longing gaze, bringing one hand to cup his face, moving the other behind his waist, dipping him down.</p><p>All of a sudden, he let go.</p><p>Kuroo's back hit the cold surface of the ice.</p><p>"You really thought I was going to kiss you, you should have seen the look on your face!" Oikawa laughed, brushing away a fake tear.</p><p>"What the fuck?!" Why would he fuck with Kuroo like that? It was severely emasculating, the way he was still laughing while looking down on him once again.</p><p>Kuroo couldn't take the sight any longer, "Shut up!" he groaned, kicking Oikawa's foot, causing him to lose his balance.<br/>Toppling over Kuroo, Oikawa's face was met with his chest plate. <em>See, this is why I chose to keep it on.</em><br/><em>Not because Oikawa insisted on a fair fight, totally.<br/></em></p><p>Oikawa propped himself up on his arms, whining as he lifted his head to lock eyes with Kuroo once again.<br/>This time, Oikawa fell into a rare silence, his unusually innocent expression suited him better than his smirks, sneers and scowls. Oikawa broke off eye contact, now focusing on Kuroo's lips.<br/>His lips came closer, slightly brushing against Kuroo's.</p><p>
  <em>Wait, this is way too intimate. What if Iwaizumi walked in?</em>
</p><p>Kuroo pushed him off of him, quickly rising to his feet.</p><p>"You're so insensitive," Oikawa moaned, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Kuroo dashed out, heading towards the locker rooms. <em>I should leave the crime scene as soon as possible.</em></p><p>Another day of practice passed with him acting strange again...</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>He wasn't going to spend any time with Oikawa the next day. He was humiliating him and leading him on despite being in a relationship with Iwaizumi.<br/>Kuroo had no time and nerve for toxic people including their feelings.<br/>This was one of the many reasons why Kuroo didn't take serious dating into account, he even took downloading Tinder into consideration if it would rid him of that unresolved sexual tension that Oikawa had caused earlier.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck. I'm not going to let this emotional shitshow affect our practice today. I will never let our team down.<br/></em>
</p><p>He gave it his all and had the good fortune to receive lots of positive feedback. He would be beaming if that didn't include Iwaizumi as well. It caught him off guard when his team captain gave him a rough pat on his back. "Glad to see you returning to your old ways," he smiled. He didn't deserve that smile at all. <em>Poor guy.</em></p><p>He managed to change out of his ice hockey gear as fast as possible, heading for the exit, only for Bokuto to stop him, grabbing him by the wrist.</p><p>"You're coming with me, Kuroo!" he asserted confidently.</p><p>"What makes you think I'm setting a foot in your dirty-ass car, Bokuto?" Kuroo mocked, yanking his arm out of Bokuto's gorilla grip.</p><p>"Because it's clean and I have a lot to tell you," Bokuto confided, sneaking an arm around his friend's shoulder.</p><p>"I'd rather take the stinky bus," Kuroo sneered.</p><p>"I can drop you off at home, if you'd like," Iwaizumi, who was now standing next to the two, offered.</p><p><em>What if Oikawa got mad, twisted the story around, and now Iwaizumi was going to kill me?<br/></em>That's why he tended not to think about other people's feelings too much. People tended to overcomplicate things and dwelling on that caused Kuroo nothing but migraines.<em><br/></em></p><p>"I have to politely decline as I would prefer to take Bokuto up on his offer. We barely spend time with each other now that he's in a relationship," Kuroo said, as Bokuto rested his chin on his shoulder, smiling triumphantly.</p><p>"That's the rose-colored glasses for you. Even falling in love has his downsides," Iwaizumi replied grimly, tugging at Kuroo's heartstrings with his statement. <em>Shit</em>.<br/>"Suit yourself," Iwaizumi smirked, leaving. <em>That sounded ridiculously threatening.</em></p><p>Bokuto stormed out of the building, Kuroo following suit. "I swear if your car isn't as clean as you promised," Kuroo groaned, before seeing Bokuto smugly open the door for him.<br/>"Aren't you one charming gentleman," he added sarcastically and to his surprise, Bokuto's car happened to be clean and free of bad odors when he took a seat.<br/>"I see, dating Akaashi brought some neatness in your life."</p><p>"Being in a relationship rocks, you should try it sometime."</p><p>"Didn't you have big news or something?" Kuroo deflected, fastening his seat belt. He wasn't in the mood to talk about the reason why he wasn't considering a relationship.</p><p>"Yes! Akaashi's birthday is on Saturday and since he's been doubting himself a lot lately, I wanted to throw him a surprise party with all of his friends. I want to cheer him up so badly."</p><p>"That sounds sweet," Kuroo let a chuckle escape. He was happy to be Bokuto's friend, although he felt somewhat lonely, realizing that there wasn't a special person in his life."</p><p>"I'd like you to come, you're one of my best friends," Bokuto took the driver's seat.</p><p>"You can count on me, I'll be there," Kuroo nodded, smiling.</p><p>"As for the organization, I hoped you could help me."</p><p>Kuroo raised a brow.</p><p>"It's not a lot, I swear! All I need you to do is spend the day at my house and let the guests in. The cake will be delivered around five. I'll be out with Akaashi for a while."</p><p>"That's all?"</p><p>"Pretty much," Bokuto said, starting the engine.</p><p>"Sounds tame. You really made sure to invite all of his friends and keep track of the catering and drinks?"</p><p>"Well," Bokuto smiled sheepishly, "I'm receiving a lot of help."</p><p>"As in?"</p><p>"You remember my friend, Yacchan, right?"</p><p>"I do."</p><p>"She is in charge of the balloons and decoration."</p><p>"As for the rest, his partner's in charge!" Bokuto grinned, making Kuroo shudder. <em>No, god no.</em> "Oikawa!"</p><p>
  <em>Fuck!<br/></em>
</p><p>"Not Oikawa!" Kuroo screamed, gripping Bokuto's steering arm, making the car sway to the right.</p><p>"What the hell, Kuroo!" Bokuto whined, "I know you hate my driving but you don't have to kill us both for it!"</p><p><em>"Not Oikawa,</em><em>" </em>Kuroo repeated somberly, "I'm not spending the entire day with Oikawa!"</p><p>"You guys know each other?" Bokuto arched a brow, eyes focused on the road.</p><p>
  <em>Yes, but no, but also yes? </em>
</p><p>"Uh, let's just say, that we don't get along." Kuroo lied through his teeth, clenching his fists. <em>Actually, we get along a little too well.</em></p><p>"It would mean the world to me if you helped me out. Akaashi needs this. Of course, you can bring a plus-one, everyone will," Bokuto whined, pouting.</p><p>Kuroo sighed in defeat, "But dinner's on you and you owe me big time," he crossed his arms sullenly.</p><p>"Deal!"</p><p> </p><p>During dinner Bokuto couldn't stop talking about Akaashi and judging by his happiness, he was like a ray of sunshine, there was no reason to tone down the bragging.<br/>Nevertheless, Kuroo felt uneasy about spending the entire Saturday afternoon with Oikawa. Should he open up?<br/><em>No, it would only force you to talk about your feelings and shortcomings. Don't ruin the mood, Tetsurou. </em></p><p>He exhaled, choosing a different topic.<br/>"All that red meat is going to clog your arteries one day, you know," Kuroo said as he watched his friend devour his steak. "You didn't even order any sides," he added, stabbing his asparagus.</p><p>"All that asparagus is going to make your pee smell bad," Bokuto retorted in between bites.</p><p>"Pee <em>is</em> supposed to smell bad. Have fun being constipated," Kuroo laughed, resting his face in his palm.</p><p>All that talk about human excrements caused the young couple at the neighboring table to turn their eyes in their direction. The woman appeared to be repulsed, her features contorted in disgust. "Repugnant," the equally appalled man spat, rolling his eyes at them.</p><p>"Don't act like your shit doesn't stink," Kuroo retorted, earning a gasp from the woman, and a scowl from the man.</p><p>Just as he wanted to counter Kuroo's remark, he was stopped by a hand squeezing his own.<br/>"Suguru, dear. There's a time and a place for everything, let's just enjoy our evening."</p><p> </p><p>Did everyone except for him have to be happy?</p><p> </p><p>He was seated on the edge of his bathtub later that evening when the same thought returned. <br/>And to his chagrin, it was Oikawa out of all people that came to his mind. He barely spent a week watching him practice and that one day that he didn't see him, left him unsatisfied. <br/>His lack of will power made him grab his phone.</p><p>
  <em>Checking his Instagram wouldn't hurt, would it? </em>
</p><p>He felt intrigued when he saw that Oikawa had uploaded a story.<br/>"Date night out with the love of my life," he read, staring at a picture of a spiky-black-haired man, who covered half of his face in an unsuccessful attempt to conceal his identity.<br/>How could he shamelessly show off Iwaizumi like that while simultaneously going behind his back?</p><p>"You almost kissed me. Fuck love," Kuroo whispered to himself before going to the app store to download Tinder.<br/>It barely took him five minutes to create a profile. He cautiously entered the tub, trying not to let his phone drop into the water.<br/>After minimizing his radius he began swiping, he stopped when a familiar face popped up.<br/>"Fucking Terushima," he rolled his eyes when he saw his bio. "Yuuji, 22, professional ice hockey player," he read.<br/>"Here for a good time, not a long time!" he imitated his teammate with a shrill voice, sticking his tongue out to add the whole thing spice. "5'11"/1,80m. Liar," he chuckled before swiping left.</p><p>It didn't take a lot of time for him to match with a tall blonde, whose intentions were pretty obvious judging by his numerous shirtless selfies.</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tsuki: do you want to link up?</span>
</p><p>He sighed, sliding down in his tub, the lower half of his face now sunken into the water. How he wished he had his sweet, sweet Benz back by now. He simply couldn't let a stranger enter his house.<br/>Kuroo groaned, inhaling water on accident. He sat up straight, coughing vehemently while pounding the same fist that clutched his phone against his chest.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck. My stupid ass can't even breathe properly.</em>
</p><p><span class="u">Tetsu: can't</span><br/><span class="u">Tetsu: want to continue this convo on snapchat?<br/></span> <span class="u"></span> <span class="u"></span></p><p>Kuroo felt like the biggest fuckboy.</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tsuki: sure.</span>
</p><p>Since he was already soaking in a bathtub, Kuroo snapped a picture of his pecs half immersed in the water.</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tetsu: like what you see?</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tsuki: don't drop your phone lol</span>
</p><p>Kuroo smirked before opening the newest snap, his eyes shooting open in astonishment. His match had just sent him a revealing picture.</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tsuki: what would you do to me if you were here?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>Tell you that I am approaching my mid-twenties and that my thoughts are occupied with another person, who's apparently cheating on his boyfriend.</em>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tetsu: I would make you earn it</span>
</p><p>
  <span class="u">Tsuki: show me how</span>
</p><p>While continuing their sexts in a video call, Kuroo was thinking Oikawa instead of the other male when he reached his climax.</p><p>"Fuck," Kuroo groaned. As realization dawned, and shame settled in, Kuroo put his phone away, cleaning himself up afterwards. "What am I doing with my life?"</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo had to banish Oikawa from his mind once and for all, so he decided to confront him as soon as possible.<br/>He cautiously opened the door to the ice hall, noticing that Oikawa was the only person present.<br/>Inhaling deeply he bolted forward, stopping a few feet away from Oikawa, ignoring the ice that he scraped onto him. Said male looked at him with a puzzled expression.</p><p>"Listen, Oikawa. I want to make myself as clear as possible."</p><p>"Hey, Tetsu-chan," Oikawa smiled, taking a step forward to take Kuroo's hands into his.</p><p>They were so warm, Kuroo didn't have the will power to pull away.</p><p>"Why weren't you there yesterday? I almost missed you."</p><p>"This is the last time I'll see you after practice," Kuroo exhaled sharply.</p><p>"But we'll see each other at Keiji-chan's party, right? Bokuto-chan told me that you would help." Oikawa gave Kuroo's hands a soft squeeze, making the latter wish he would have put on his gloves.</p><p>"Right," Kuroo muttered, returning the squeeze. "I'll retrieve my car on Monday and I won't be reliant on the bus anymore, so this and Akaashi's party will be our last encounter."</p><p>"Don't be silly, Tetsu-chan. We can exchange numbers and I can give you a call."</p><p>"Don't call me, Tetsu-chan." He shook his head before clarifying, "In fact, don't call me at all!" he shot Oikawa a conflicted look before pulling his hands away. "I don't want to see you anymore."</p><p>"Why are you so dramatic all of a sudden?"</p><p>"Quit acting stupid, you're going behind Iwaizumi's back in order to flirt with me. Don't you carry an ounce of shame in your body?"</p><p>"You act like will kill us, you're being irrational at this point." Oikawa crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"You disgust me," Kuroo spat, his own words strumming his heartstrings too roughly. "Get out of my sight."</p><p>"Well, fuck you then!" Oikawa raised his voice, storming out.</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>"And that's the reason you bought us an apple pie?" Kenma raised a brow, cutting into said pie.</p><p>"I baked it myself," Kuroo clarified. "That's not even the point, I'm allowed to bring a plus-one with me and I don't want to show up alone. I don't want to spend time with Oikawa on my own.<br/>Kenma, Chibi-chan, I can't do it!"</p><p>"So you're coaxing us with sweets?" Hinata inquired, shooting Kuroo a quizzical look.</p><p>"Regard it as a transaction, a peace offering if you like."</p><p>"I'm sure Oikawa deserves a peace offering after everything you told me, Kuro."</p><p>"Never. He is cheating on his boyfriend," Kuroo makes sure to stress every single word.</p><p>"You don't know how they defined their boundaries. It could be an open relationship at this point, you never know."</p><p>"Open relationship, as if," Kuroo mocked, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"You're talking to a couple in an open relationship right now," Kenma sighed before putting a slice of apple pie on Hinata's plate, giving him a loving look.</p><p>"That's an entirely different story. You're asexual, Kenma."</p><p>"How do you know Iwaizumi isn't?" Hinata interrupts, reciprocating Kenma's warm smile.</p><p>"I just, I don't know. He doesn't rub me that way."</p><p>"Maybe try talking to him, tomorrow."</p><p>"Will you be there, Kenma?"</p><p>"You think an apple pie is all it takes for me to overcome my social anxiety and suddenly feel comfortable at parties?"</p><p>"Of course not, Kenma. I would never pressure you into these things," Kuroo sighed, brushing his hands through his hair.<br/>"This is an overly disjointed stage in my life, I don't trust my own judgment anymore."</p><p>"I promised my fans a live-stream tomorrow. However," he began, "you don't have to go on your own if Shoyo chooses to join you."</p><p>Kuroo shot Hinata an expectant look, the corners of their mouths lifting in sync.</p><p>"You're the best, Chibi-chan!" Kuroo exclaimed, pulling the other male into a hug.</p><p> </p><p>✧─────✦❅✦─────✧</p><p> </p><p>"Kuroo, Hinata!" Bokuto smiled, when he saw Kuroo and Hinata in front of his door, embracing both of them in a tight group hug. "I trust you guys. I'm off to pick Akaashi up, we'll be home before six."</p><p>To Kuroo's surprise, he and Oikawa barely faced each other, as the latter was either on the phone, making calls, or chatting a flustered Yachi up.<br/>On the other hand, it was understandable that he was avoiding Kuroo. Both parties had a reason to.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Was he wearing glasses? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It didn't matter.<br/></em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo made sure to help Yachi with the decorations as he was one and a half feet taller than her.</p><p>The white chocolate cake, from a confectionery named "Chocolatier Parisien", was delivered before the catering and around five o'clock, all guests had arrived. Everything was ready.</p><p>Kuroo spent the rest of the hour in proximity to Hinata, although the latter didn't need help talking to people, it was rather him keeping his distance from Oikawa and Iwaizumi, his companion. Unsurprisingly.</p><p>Everyone was waiting in the living room of Bokuto's house as the clock struck six. When the couple entered the room, turning on the lights, everyone yelled a hearty Happy Birthday, dashing over to the birthday boy.</p><p>Akaashi blushed, lowering his gaze humbly. "I can't believe you did this for me," he suppressed a sniffle, before taking his glasses off, pressing his face into his boyfriend's chest.</p><p>"Keijiii, don't cry or I'll cry with you." Bokuto pouted, cupping his boyfriend's face, brushing away the tears with his thumbs.</p><p>"I'm not sad by all means, I'm just not used to this." Bokuto pulled his boyfriend into another tight embrace. The sight was too cute.</p><p> </p><p>An hour later, everyone was spread across the entire house and Kuroo found himself heading into the kitchen and he didn't happen to be alone.</p><p>Kuroo caught Oikawa, who was standing next to Terushima, looking at him desolately.</p><p>
  <em>Are they flirting?</em>
</p><p>"Come on, glasses-chan, you won't regret it," he stuck out his tongue, showing off his piercing, dragging it against his lips before taking a sip from his drink.</p><p>"I'd rather head home afterward," Oikawa looked down demurely.</p><p>"Don't be such a prude, you're missing out," he winked, trying to close the distance between the two.</p><p>Although Kuroo hated cheaters, he didn't think they deserved to be harassed like this.</p><p>He straightened his back before stepping in. "Missing out on what? A sloppy make-out-session with someone whose mouth tastes like rusty pennies?"<br/>Kuroo glared Terushima down, eyes ablaze until his gaze wandered back to his fucking drink.</p><p>"Eh, what?" Terushima faltered. Taken aback, he turned to Oikawa who managed the situation suavely.</p><p>"Is that all you have to offer, Yuuji-chan?"</p><p> </p><p>"I am capable of standing up for myself."</p><p>"Could you blame him though? He has amazing taste," Oikawa let a strained laugh escape, rubbing his arm.</p><p>"Don't joke about these matters. You don't have to undermine your problems."</p><p>Oikawa nodded hesitantly, taking a quick glance at Kuroo. "Stop being so considerate, it's almost cute."</p><p>"My inner gentleman happened to get the best of me," Kuroo leaned against the door frame, giving Oikawa a gentle look.</p><p>"Where was he yesterday then?"</p><p>Kuroo's eyes widened slightly before his expression went neutral. "Chilling," his answer was predictably aloof.<br/>"I just decided to step in before Iwaizumi could. Don't think too much of it. We can't afford to lose a teammate right now."</p><p>Oikawa sighed, resting his palm against his forehead. "I think that's one of the reasons he didn't want me to meet any of you guys."</p><p>"Can you blame him though?" he narrowed his eyes skeptically, crossing his arms. "You're betraying him."</p><p>
  <em>What a toxic relationship.</em>
</p><p>"What the hell is that supposed to mean? It's not my fault that I am pretty and receive all the attention. Once I have a boyfriend, he'll let me live it down."</p><p>"Wait, say that again."</p><p>"I'm pretty, so he hates it when I get attention?"</p><p>"No, I mean," Kuroo faltered, before deciding to be upfront about it. "Weren't you guys dating?"</p><p>Oikawa arched a brow in perplexion before laughing, "You're kidding right?"</p><p>"Why did you think I confronted you yesterday?"</p><p>"Because you're crazy and I happen to have the misfortune of attracting crazy men?"</p><p>"No, I thought you guys were dating and that you were cheating on him!"</p><p>"Are you delusional?"</p><p>"Everything pointed towards it."</p><p>"For example?"</p><p>
  <em>"The date night out with the love of your life? The way you looked so good together?"</em>
</p><p>"First of all, I knew you were stalking me but online? How was I supposed to know you kept tabs on me." Kuroo rolled his eyes. "Second of all, he dislikes it when I show him off or refer to our platonic hangouts as dates," Oikawa elaborated, resting his hands on his hips. "And third of all, you've seen me perform. I make everyone look amazing," he asserted, smirking. "Happens to be one of my countless outstanding qualities."</p><p>"I'm not stalking you, I just happened to follow you on Instagram and I told you I was only killing time before practice. You were the one who was all friendly and seductive after I apologized."</p><p>"Because I wanted to give you a chance. Weren't you interested?"</p><p>Kuroo felt liberated, sliding his hands through his hair, resting them behind his neck.</p><p>"Does that chance still remain?" he asked sheepishly.</p><p>"Yeah, but you have a lot to make up for."</p><p> </p><p>And though Kuroo is acting apathetic, he is struggling to ignore his attraction towards Oikawa.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm dying.</p><p>Tumblr: robopou<br/>TikTok/Instagram: Nuruto.art</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey~<br/>Three years later and I am back like a vertebrae! </p><p>Please leave me a comment or befriend me on my tumblr: </p><p>robopou.tumblr.com<br/>(<br/>I take requests for fics, I ship Oikawa with basically anyone, I'll be okay with a more specific request :)<br/>)</p><p>instagram.com/robopou</p><p> </p><p>Fun fact:</p><p>I feel like Tetsurou has an older or maybe twin-sister? <br/>I named her Akane - 赤子 <br/>赤 Aka - meaning red <br/>子 Ne - meaning child<br/>I picture her having black hair, just like her brother, but more of a temper. Also a Nekoma student, so red fits her perfectly but oh my god, consider this:</p><p>Since Tetsurou means "Iron Cheerfulness" I thought that you could also write her name as <br/>娃 A - meaning beautiful<br/>明 A - meaning bright <br/>金 Kane - meaning gold<br/>Which matches her brother. <br/>Amazing, right?</p><p>I did a little research and my friends who major in Japanology didn't correct me lol</p></blockquote></div></div>
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